MAIN CAMPUS, 20 May - Online scams have been rapidly increasing among Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) students, particularly within Telegram and WhatsApp group chats. These platforms, widely used for communication and information sharing among students, have become prime targets for cybercriminals. However, some individuals took this opportunity to scam these students with tactics of their own.

 

Alka Kaur Sandhu, Student Representative Council, Social Sciences 3, expressed her concerns regarding the rising cases of online scams amongst USM students. Alka noted that she never experienced it herself, but is still very concerned about this matter as it affects the welfare of USM students because it is her responsibility as an SRC to take care of the students' well-being and safety.

 

“I may not have experienced online scams in USM by myself yet, however, it is still an issue that is still relevant and is affecting all students, especially the first year students. To say the least, I am concerned about this issue and am aware of it” she expressed.

 

Afiqah Bahirah Ahmad Kamal Ariffin, MPDAD, Languages, Literacies, and Translation 3, implied that, as part of the MPD, it is her responsibility to ensure that students residing in the hostel are not victims of online scams because these fraudulent activities are the most prevalent in official hostel group chats.

 

“Students residing in Aman Damai hostel needs to be aware of these online scams activities to safeguard themselves by asking and reporting to any MPD in charge about any unusual activity happening inside the group chat. Students also are strongly encouraged to be always aware of how these online scams’ tactics take form.” she noted.

 

Ronace Philip, member of PERSIS, Education 4, claimed that online scam activities at USM are not a recent phenomenon, claiming that they have been ongoing for quite a while, with many of them posing significant risks.

 

“To me personally, online scamming in USM has always been happening especially in big groups in Telegram and WhatsApp. While some of them does not pose any threat towards the safety of the students, there is still quite a few number of them that are actually risky and could result in a very dangerous data leak” he said.